Thursday, October 13, 2016

Glenn Zottola - Miles Davis Remembered / Charlie Parker With Strings Revisited

Album: Miles Davis Remembered
Size: 72,1 MB
Time: 30:49
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2015
Styles: Jazz
Art: Front

01. This Heart Of Mine (2:28)
02. I'll Be Seeing You (3:36)
03. Jupiter (2:44)
04. I Cover The Waterfront (3:48)
05. Spring Is Here (3:12)
06. Beta Minor (1:52)
07. Autumn In New York (3:35)
08. Just You Just Me (2:55)
09. My Funny Valentine (3:17)
10. Sunday (3:16)

A young musician's mind can be so very impressionable, so capable and available to lock onto a recording, a phrase or texture and hold it. The effect is almost nuclear—one note, perfectly placed by the performer and into a young listener's ear, can set into play a chain of music-driven events that can spawn professional careers, if not a lifelong interest in the art. Such was-and is—the case with trumpeter and multi-instrumentalist, Glenn Zottola. A phenomenon in his own right.

With Miles Remembered Zottola, as he did with his prior tribute recordings of Clifford Brown, Stan Getz and Charlie Parker (all superb, by the way), Zottola offers a salute to another of his early childhood influences—Miles Davis. And, this effort is terrific.

Incorporating and recording in two accompaniment formats—a sextet and a full orchestra (both of which were previously recorded and plucked like gems mined from the exhaustive Classic Jazz Records vault), Zottola's complete focus here shades and genuflects to Davis and his classic Prestige and early Gil Evans/Columbia period. It's the best of all jazz worlds—great GAS material ("This Heart of Mine," "I Cover the Waterfront," "My Funny Valentine), highly-expressive improv, and trumpet wizardry.

Throughout the recording, Zottola demonstrates a beautiful sound, great technique and deep, musically sincere affection for Davis and this celebrated period. He wisely avoids any Miles Davis classics, direct playing imitation, or "Miles licks." Zottola doesn't have to; he's an Ace player with a great sound and jazz touch ("Just You, Just Me," "Beta Minus"). But, as any jazz trumpeter worth his valve oil would, the Davis influences on Zottola percolate effortlessly from the recesses of his mind and out the end of both his Harmon-muted or open horn.

A word about the accompaniment; as one would expect of Davis, Zottola or any performing great, the accompaniment here is A-1, swings and frames the front man fine. Zottola's overdubbing onto the support of Jimmy Raney, Stan Getz, Ed Shaugnessy and also the All-Star orchestra is dead-on. This is not karaoke or recorda-me, by any means.

While Miles Davis was a constantly evolving jazz entity over many decades, with Miles Remembered Glenn Zottola 'scopes a robust Davis period and in doing so does one of his idols -and himself -most proud. ~by Edward Blanco

Personnel: Glenn Zottola: trumpet; Jimmy Raney: guitar; Stan Getz: tenor saxophone; Hal McCusick: flute, clarinet; George Duvivier: bass; Ed Shaughnessy; unidentified string orchestra.

Album: Miles Davis Remembered
Size: 68,4 MB
Time: 29:19
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2015
Styles: Jazz
Art: Front

01. Just Friends (3:29)
02. April In Paris (3:06)
03. Summertime (2:46)
04. East Of The Sun (3:40)
05. I Didn't Know What Time It Was (3:13)
06. Laura (3:05)
07. I'm In The Mood For Love (3:37)
08. Everything Happens To Me (3:12)
09. Dancing In The Dark (3:08)

Saxophonist and trumpeter Glenn Zottola came out of retirement from a long distinguished career, for the specific purpose of paying tribute to jazz artists who influenced his life and his music. The tribute series of albums which, include homages to Miles Davis, Clifford Brown and Stan Getz among them, concludes with a tip of the hat to the legendary Charlie Parker with a reprise of his classic Charlie Parker with Strings sessions of 1949 and 1950 capturing the romantic and melodic side of this giant. Zottola's Charlie Parker with Strings Revisited employs new transcriptions of the original arrangements from both Mercury recordings covering nine pieces (five from the first album and four from the second), in re-visiting and re-imagining Parker's swinging rhythms section with the help of lush string arrangements that made these recordings a personal favorite of the jazz icon.

One major difference of note here is, that Zottola chose not to simply duplicate Parker's original solos but rather, to infuse the music with his own solo statements with, as he states, "Charlie Parker's "spirit" in mind..." the result of course, is another captivating documentation of the "Yardbird's" music with a decidedly Zottolian twist. Opening up with the 1931 John Klenner favorite and all-time standard "Just Friends," introduced by the sounds of the harp and strings, provides the saxophonist his first alto solo setting the stage for what is in store. Recording the standards for Parker was a bid for greater exposure and adding the strings just made it a first among jazz artists and as such, Vernon Duke's "April In Paris" was forever changed and here, Zottola's treatment of the classic brings the music to life.

The Gershwin's defining "Summertime" is recalled here quite well, though brief but beautiful, Zottola's magical solos make it memorable. Two oft-recorded standards, "East of the Sun," and "I Don't Know What Time It Was," are remembered here with much of the saxophonist's personal style imprinted on the arrangement clearly wielding a lyrical alto. The somber and humble David Raskin/Johnny Mercer classic "Laura," still conveys the emotional message the authors intended and this version does not change that but rather enhances the high-pitched alto in a delicate way.

The standard "I'm In the Mood for love" features Zottola in a more pronounced manner while the familiar "Everything Happens to Me," takes on a unique charm complimented well by the strings. The saxophonist does some off his best soloing on the Schwartz/Dietz finale tune "Dancing in the Dark" leaving little doubt that this Parker tribute has an unquestioned Zottola imprint. Traditional jazz at its best, Charlie Parker with Strings Revisited takes one on a musical journey of past glory remembering one of the legends of the genre fulfilling his long-held desire to record with a string section. Alto saxophonist Glenn Zottola pays homage to a legend and one of his most memorable works with a striking musical message that may be just as memorable. ~by Edward Blanco

Personnel: Glenn Zottola: alto saxophone; Mark Stalling: piano, arranger; String Section and other band members not listed.

Miles Davis Remembered / Charlie Parker With Strings Revisited

Lucia Minetti - Fil Rouge

Size: 140,2 MB
Time: 60:16
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz Vocals, Chanson
Art: Front

01. Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien (3:15)
02. Mon Homme (3:41)
03. Avec Le Temps (4:11)
04. Tous Le Visages De L'Amour (5:18)
05. Ne Me Quitte Pas (4:23)
06. La Mer (4:41)
07. Jardin D'Hiver (3:25)
08. Chanson Des Vieux Amants (4:09)
09. Je Ne Sais Pas Dire Je T'aime (4:53)
10. Le Tourbillon De La Vie - La Vie S'Envole (2:48)
11. Litanies Pour Un Retour (2:46)
12. La Foule (3:28)
13. India Song (3:36)
14. La Vie En Rose (4:07)
15. Milord (5:27)

Personnel:
Lucia Minetti, voice
Andrea Zani, piano (tracks 3,5,7,9,10,11,13,14)
Ensemble “La Foule” (tracks 1,2,4,6,8,12,15)
Cecilia Franchini, orchestra leader and piano
Elio Orio, first violin
Francesco Mardegan, second violin
Francesca Marino, viola
Veronica Nava Puerto, cello
Giancarlo Pavan, doublebass
Salvatore Baronilli, clarinet
Mattia Marangon, horn
Lucrecia Fernandez, bassoon
Riccardo Nicolin, percussions

“Lucia Minetti and her enchanting voice are back: this great interpreter and her unique timbre so intense and elegant fascinate in the brand new album “Fil Rouge” a touching story about love, full of charm, lyricism and poetry.”

Lucia Minetti is an esteemed singer, famous for her elegance, artistic flair and thrilling voice. She is the favorite solo artist of many great authors of jazz music, classical or contemporary music; songwriters and theater directors who have dedicated her songs, lyrics and works. Lucia Minetti marks her artistic interests on the song form drawing new poetic shades to classical and pop music thanks to her intense personal interpretation and vocal evolutions.

Fil Rouge

Brother Jack McDuff - Goodnight, It's Time To Go/The Honeydripper (Feat. Grant Green)

Size: 181,0 MB
Time: 78:21
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1961/2016
Styles: Jazz
Art: Front

01. Sanctified Waltz ( 4:48)
02. Goodnight, It's Time To Go ( 6:10)
03. I'll Be Seeing You ( 7:40)
04. A Smooth One (10:46)
05. McDuff Speaking ( 6:20)
06. Godiva Brown ( 5:13)
07. Whap! ( 4:22)
08. I Want A Little Girl ( 6:43)
09. The Honeydripper ( 8:15)
10. Dink's Blues ( 7:54)
11. Mr. Lucky ( 5:04)
12. Blues And Tonic ( 5:00)

This release presents two complete original LPs digitally remastered, stereo, by Brother Jack McDuff: Goodnight, It's Time to Go (Prestige PRLP7220), and The Honeydripper (Prestige PRLP7199). Both albums showcase the organist in a quartet format with the brilliant guitarist Grant Green. (This CD includes all of their quartet recordings together under the leadership of McDuff. They also participated on two other quartet albums, one under Green's name, and the other under Lou Donaldson's). As a bonus, “Godiva Brown”, a song that completes the Goodnight, It's Time to Go sessions but wasn't included on the original LP.

Goodnight, It's Time To Go/The Honeydripper

Alyssa Allgood - Out Of The Blue

Size: 114,5 MB
Time: 49:23
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. Watch Me Walk Away (Dig Dis) (5:24)
02. Noticing The Moment (Moment's Notice) (4:32)
03. It's You Or No One (3:45)
04. Speak No Evil (5:40)
05. Beatrice (5:00)
06. Peace (4:20)
07. If (5:01)
08. Only A Memory (Ceora) (4:17)
09. Moanin' (5:58)
10. Mirrors (5:22)

Jazz vocalist Alyssa Allgood celebrates the classic Blue Note recording era on her debut album Out of the Blue. Mining the catalog of jazz greats such as Hank Mobley, Wayne Shorter, Joe Chambers, Lee Morgan, Horace Silver, and others, Allgood reinterprets their work as vocal vehicles and presents the music with re-imagined arrangements and original lyrics that highlight the instrumental qualities of her vocals. Her voice is cool but expressive, and the maturity and nuance of her singing provides the perfect vehicle for bridging mid-century hard bop music with a more modern approach.

"One of the top up-and-coming jazz singers around today." -Scott Yanow, Jazz historian

"Radiant voice, soft but strong and coolly expressive...she sings with a maturity marked by restraint and nuance." -Neil Tesser, Grammy-award winning writer and critic

“It’s only a matter of time before her torch is lighting up everything everywhere. Clearly a new star on the rise, this is your golden opportunity to say you were there first." -Chris Spector, Midwest Record

“Alyssa Allgood is to be commended for tackling some difficult intervals and challenging jazz compositions… she’s pitch-perfect, as well as a fine songwriter.” -Dee Dee McNeil, Musical Memoirs

Out Of The Blue 

Scott Hamilton - La Rosita

Size: 98,4 MB
Time: 34:56
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz
Art: Front

01. Ladybird (5:52)
02. Willow Weep For Me (6:51)
03. The Girl From Ipanema (9:08)
04. The Way You Look Tonight (8:32)
05. La Rosita (4:30)

When Scott Hamilton appeared in the mid-’70s fully formed with an appealing swing style on tenor, mixing together Zoot Sims and Ben Webster but yet with a very personal sound, he caused a minor sensation, for few other young players during the fusion era were exploring pre-bop jazz at his high level. He was a nonexistent species at the time. Today he is one of the living legends of contemporary jazz and one of the best saxophonists which we can enjoy live.

Just as it to prove that affirmation this new album, with an extraordinary natural and warm sound, was recorded live on December 7th, 2015 in Benicásim, Spain. The great New York pianist Dena DeRose, Catalan bass player Ignasi Gonzalez and German drummer Jo Krause join Scott to play a great set of our favourite music. Lady Bird, Willow Weep For Me, Garota de Ipanema, The Way You Look Tonight and, closing the disc, an off the beat but fun and wonderful interpretation of La Rosita.

Dupont & Stuart wrote the piece to be played by the pianists accompanying Ernst Lubistch (first) silent movie in the big cinemas of the 1920’s. A Bolero model of Hawkins and Webster’s but making it more nostalgic and with a blatant vitality, Hamilton leaves us a rare jewel even within his consistently high playing standards.

Personnel::
SCOTT HAMILTON, tenor sax
DENA DeROSE, piano
IGNASI GONZÁLEZ, bass
JO KRAUSE, drums

La Rosita

Clifford Jordan - Firm Roots

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1975
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:15
Size: 118,1 MB
Art: Front

(8:43)  1. Firm Roots
(8:56)  2. Angel In The Night
(3:50)  3. Scorpio
(4:50)  4. Bearcat
(7:57)  5. Inga
(6:28)  6. Voices Deep Within Me
(8:29)  7. One For Amos

Clifford Jordan was a fine inside/outside player who somehow held his own with Eric Dolphy in the 1964 Charles Mingus Sextet. Jordan had his own sound on tenor almost from the start. He gigged around Chicago with Max Roach, Sonny Stitt, and some R&B groups before moving to New York in 1957. Jordan immediately made a strong impression, leading three albums for Blue Note (including a meeting with fellow tenor John Gilmore) and touring with Horace Silver (1957-1958), J.J. Johnson (1959-1960), Kenny Dorham (1961-1962), and Max Roach (1962-1964). After performing in Europe with Mingus and Dolphy, Jordan worked mostly as a leader but tended to be overlooked since he was not overly influential or a pacesetter in the avant-garde. 

A reliable player, Clifford Jordan toured Europe several times, was in a quartet headed by Cedar Walton in 1974-1975, and during his last years, led a big band. He recorded as a leader for Blue Note, Riverside, Jazzland, Atlantic (a little-known album of Leadbelly tunes), Vortex, Strata-East, Muse, SteepleChase, Criss Cross, Bee Hive, DIW, Milestone, and Mapleshade. ~ Scott Yanow https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/clifford-jordan/id2740524#fullText

Personnel: Clifford Jordan (tenor saxophone), Cedar Walton (piano), Sam Jones (bass), Billy Higgins (drums)

Firm Roots

David Friesen - Paths Beyond Tracing

Styles: Free Jazz, Contemporary Jazz 
Year: 1980
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:12
Size: 101,4 MB
Art: Front

(8:56)  1. Song In The Night
(5:02)  2. As The Day Begins
(1:14)  3. Wind in The Wilderness
(5:17)  4. Symphonies
(5:11)  5. Tender Hearted
(5:22)  6. Shapes and colours
(6:29)  7. Blues/Heart Felt
(1:49)  8. Sword of The Prophets
(4:49)  9. Choir

David Friesen's music ranges from hard bop to mood music that borders on spiritual new age but on a higher emotional level. While stationed in Germany with the Army in 1961, he taught himself the bass. After short stints with John Handy and Marian McPartland, Friesen worked with Joe Henderson for two years. He toured Europe with Billy Harper (1975), made his recording debut as a leader that same year on Muse, started a longtime musical association with guitarist John Stowell (1976), and appeared with Ted Curson at the 1977 Monterey Jazz Festival. After working with Ricky Ford, Duke Jordan, and Mal Waldron and touring the U.S.S.R. with Paul Horn (1983), Friesen settled in the Pacific Northwest. He often plays the Oregon bass (an electrified acoustic bass) these days and has recorded as a leader for Muse, Inner City, SteepleChase, Palo Alto, ITM (including an intriguing series of duets during 1992-1993), and Global Pacific, in addition to some smaller labels. ~ Scott Yanow https://itunes.apple.com/be/artist/david-friesen/id5324396#fullText

Violin [Bass], Flute (Bamboo)– David Friesen

Paths Beyond Tracing

Richard Davis - Fancy Free

Styles: Jazz, Hard Bop, Post-Bop
Year: 1977
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 37:46
Size: 136,2 MB
Art: Front

(5:19)  1. The Wine of May
(9:40)  2. Silver's Serenade
(4:52)  3. Emily
(4:21)  4. Nardis
(5:40)  5. I Still love you, Baby
(7:52)  6. Fancy Free

It seems odd that this Galaxy LP was recorded at the same time as Way Out West for the rival Muse label. Bassist Richard Davis teams up with trumpeter Eddie Henderson, tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson, keyboardist Stanley Cowell and drummer Billy Cobham for five selections that are highlighted by "Silver's Serenade," "Nardis" and a rare cover version of Donald Byrd's "Fancy Free"; singer Dolly Hirota is featured on "I Still Love You, Baby." Overall this is the stronger of the sets recorded during the two-day period in 1977, an advanced and mostly straightahead effort. ~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/fancy-free-mw0000921000

Personnel:  Richard Davis – bass;  Eddie Henderson - trumpet, flugelhorn (tracks 1, 2 & 4-6);  Joe Henderson - tenor saxophone;  Stanley Cowell - piano, electric piano;  Billy Cobham – drums;  Dolly Hirota - vocals (track 5);  Bill Lee - arranger, conductor

Fancy Free

Stephen Riley & Peter Zak - Haunted Heart

Styles: Saxophone and Piano Jazz
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 70:12
Size: 161,3 MB
Art: Front

(6:28)  1. Isfahan
(7:29)  2. You Do Something To Me
(6:26)  3. Prisoner Of Love
(7:20)  4. Punjab
(5:20)  5. The Intimacy Of The Blues
(5:15)  6. Haunted Heart
(5:09)  7. After You've Gone
(5:12)  8. Moment's Notice
(5:23)  9. There's A Small Hotel
(7:51) 10. Alice In Wonderland
(8:15) 11. Pennies From Heaven

Seventy-years ago, the Great American Songbook was still paramount as the professional jazz performer’s bible. Players who couldn’t hang when popular tunes were called summarily found themselves shame-faced on the sidelines of a jam session or gig. Though barely pushing forty, saxophonist Stephen Riley comes out of that storied fealty to melodic mastery and the primacy of a well-minted song. Ten years Riley’s senior, pianist Peter Zak is equivalently versed. The pair put tradition to practice on Haunted Heart, an intimate assemblage of eleven standards that skew towards pre-WWII provenance, but prove anything but antiquated. Zak first teamed with Riley on the saxophonist’s fifth album, adding an element in his instrument that was previously outside the tenorist’s usual purview. Even so, the caliber of their musical camaraderie was nearly instantaneous. The accompanying essay to their last album together intimated the existence of this date and the results are certainly worth the wait. Absent bass and drums as rhythmic agents, the duo relies on agreed upon aural semaphores to keep the interplay from flagging. Zak’s keyboard approach, at once spare and porous allows his partner to range freely through the contours of each piece and devote an even greater than customary focus on textured tonal variation. Riley uses the hardest reeds possible to generate a breathy, almost bifurcated sound that sheathes his phrases in an enveloping fine-grained rasp with direct antecedents in past tenor paragons like Don Byas and Ben Webster.

Billy Strayhorn’s ballad “Isfahan” serves as opener and a scintillating distillation of the carefully-constructed dynamics on display as Riley voicing the theme with sensuous, flute-like buoyancy and Zak shapes terrestrial-bound chords beneath him. Joe Henderson’s “Punjab”, previously tackled by Riley on an earlier session and a regular entry in his stage songbook, features the duo in an up-tempo interaction that expertly blends melodic velocity with emotive import. Once again the spontaneous communication spills over into the sublime with each player anticipating and answering the other with accelerated alacrity. Coltrane’s “Moment’s Notice” is the other “relatively-recent” selection and still well over six decades old. While not quite on par with the pristine performance of the Henderson piece, it’s still a gorgeous parade of sustained invention especially in a surprising mid-piece downshift to waltz-time. “Prisoner of Love”, “After You’ve Gone” and “Pennies from Heaven” all feature unaccompanied introductory choruses by Riley. His sterling command of the form suggests that a future solo album venture should be an enterprise worthy of serious consideration. Zak’s already recorded in that setting and takes comparable honors on “The Intimacy of the Blues”, the title piece and “Alice in Wonderland”. He makes equally excellent use of the isolation in priming the ears for Riley’s empyrean entry in each case. Whatever reservations the tenorist once harbored about piano placement in his ensembles or as pinion-resistant partner for improvisation, it’s safe to surmise they are firmly the province of the past. ~ Derek Taylor http://dustedmagazine.tumblr.com/post/132150779020/stephen-riley-peter-zak-haunted-heart

Personnel: Stephen Riley (tenor saxophone), Peter Zak (piano)

Haunted Heart

Madeleine Peyroux - Secular Hymns

Styles: Vocal And Guitar Jazz
Year: 2016
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 33:14
Size: 77,9 MB
Art: Front

(4:28)  1. Got You On My Mind
(3:21)  2. Tango Till Theyre Sore
(2:43)  3. The Highway Kind
(3:12)  4. Everything I Do Gonh Be Funky (From Now On)
(3:05)  5. If The Sea Was Whiskey
(4:13)  6. Hard Times Come Again No More
(3:08)  7. Hello Babe
(3:19)  8. More Time
(2:40)  9. Shout Sister Shout
(3:00) 10. Trampin

Remarkably, Madeleine Peyroux's Secular Hymns comes twenty years after her debut release, Dreamland (Atlantic, 1996), which catapulted her into the public eye and garnered heaps of praise. Since then her voice has often been compared to mid-career Billie Holiday, and that comparison remains valid on Secular Hymns. Some singers would find that a millstone around their neck, but Peyroux continues to wear it well. It is surprising that, two decades since Dreamland, this is only her seventh solo album release. Those albums have never settled into a predictable pattern for instance, some have contained mainly Peyroux originals, others few or none at all but her name long ago became a guarantee of high quality music. Coming on the heels of the Ray Charles-inspired The Blue Room (Decca/EmArcy, 2012), Secular Hymns again ploughs a new furrow. Rather than the larger groups that have featured on some of her albums, here she is just joined in her current touring trio by Steely Dan guitarist Jon Herington and Israeli-born bassist Barak Mori. The album was recorded in a 200-seater, twelfth-century Norman-styled church in Oxfordshire, at which the trio had played a concert-dinner event. Very taken with the way her voice sounded in the space, Peyroux and her live engineer, Doug Dawson, decided she should record an album there. That happened some months later at a free live show for the townspeople. The results fully justify the decision, as the sound is first-rate while the atmosphere brought out the best in the trio. The three together produce enough music with two guitars, double bass and voices to fill out the soundscape, so it never feels as if anything more should have been added.

There are no Peyroux compositions among the ten songs which cover an impressively broad time span and range of styles from the traditional spiritual "Trampin" and Stephen Foster's 1854 song "Hard Times Come Again No More" right through to contemporary composers Tom Waits, Townes Van Zandt and Linton Kwesi Johnson. As ever, Peyroux's voice perfectly conveys every song's emotions, no matter how poignant the subject matter. On past albums she has repeatedly demonstrated her ability to sing the blues on songs by Bessie Smith and Robert Johnson, and on recordings with "Pinetop" Perkins. Here, her version of Willie Dixon's "If The Sea Was Whiskey" again showcases that ability. For many listeners and maybe for Peyroux herself the track "Everything I Do Gonh Be Funky (From Now On)" will be especially poignant as its composer, the New Orleans legend Allen Toussaint, died suddenly while on tour in Europe, less than a year before this album's release. Toussaint played piano in the band on Peyroux's fine Standing on the Rooftop (Decca/EmArcy, 2011). The YouTube clip of the song below was filmed at the recording of Secular Hymns. This album is a delight from start to finish, without a single track that is less than excellent. Peyroux continues to go from strength to strength. ~ John Eyles https://www.allaboutjazz.com/secular-hymns-madeleine-peyroux-impulse-review-by-john-eyles.php
Personnel: Madeleine Peyroux: vocals, guitar: Jon Herington: guitar; Barak Mori: bass.

Secular Hymns